The Citizens Airport Committee was organized by several La Crosse civic groups in 1942 to submit to the Common Council of the City of La Crosse “a complete and thorough study” of the possibility of establishing a municipal airport. The Committee was composed of representatives of the American Federation of Labor, Congress of Industrial Organizations, Flyers' Club, Business Men's Club, Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations. It was chaired by Quincy H. Hale, a La Crosse attorney.
Working closely with H. W. Torkelson of the Wisconsin State Planning Board, the Committee selected an airport site and explored sources of government financing. It presented resolutions to the Common Council calling for a bond issue to fund land purchase, and it assisted in the land condemnation proceedings when purchase was authorized.
The Committee faced a crisis in April 1944, just as runway construction was about to begin, when the financial support promised by the federal Civil Aeronautics Administration was suddenly withdrawn. This occurred because the government felt that changes in the war situation required changes in their funding priorities. However, a presentation on May 27, 1944, by Congressman William H. Stevenson and others convinced President Roosevelt that the government had a moral obligation to honor its earlier promises.
The crisis over, construction began and the airport was operating by the summer of 1945. With completion, the Committee ceased its activities and turned over airport management to the City of La Crosse.
